Water gage and indicator.



F. PHILIPPI. WATER GAGE AND INDICATOR.

(Application filed Dec. 30, 1899.) N 0 M o d e l Users STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK PHILIPEI, oE sT. LOUIS, irnssous'r.

WATER GAGE AND INDlCATOFi.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,755, dated July 17, 1900.

Application filed December 30, 1899. Serial No. 142,108. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK PHILIPPI, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improve-' mentin Water Gages and Indicators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in a liquid-gage, and is designed particularly for indicating the amount of water or other liquid contained in a vessel when it is otherwise impossible or inconvenient to determine the same.

The object of this invention is to enable a person to ascertain the amount of water or other liquid contained in a vessel which is either too high up or too low down to permit of an ordinary glass gage to be efficiently employed as, for instance, in water-tube boilers the main boiler or shell is located extraordinarily high say twelve feet, more or less, above the ground-level-and if this boiler were equipped with an ordinary glasstube gage, which must necessarily be some little distance higher than the Water-level in the boiler, it would be difficult for a person standing on the ground to accurately tell just whatthegageindicated. Furthermore, glass gages are objectionable in that they frequently become broken or cracked or discolored by muddy water, which renders them ineflicient and difficult to'read. These objections are all overcome by the use of my invention, and the object sought is accomplished in my invention by the mechanism employed in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a conventional illustration in front elevation, parts being broken away and parts shown'in section, of a portion of a boiler or other vessel, showing my improved gage in proper position relative thereto, and a diagrammatic illustration of an audible signal and its operating-battery in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is an enlarged 'front elevational view of the gage proper. Fig. 3 is a rear clevational view of the gage proper with its cap removed and a portion of the casing being broken away and a portion shown in section to more clearly illustrate the invention.

taken on the line 4 4 of Fig.8; and Fig. 5 is a plan View, partly in section, of the gage proper. 1

Similar characters designate similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings, A represents a vessel such, for instance, as a stean1-boiler'w hich contains a quantity of water or other liquid, and B an auxiliary reservoir-or pipe arranged in juxtaposition thereto and connected therewith at its lower end by a pipe a. This reservoir or pipe B is provided upon its extreme lower end with a cap-piece b, and to said cappiece and in communication with the interior of said reservoir is secured one end of a pipe 0. Secured to the lower end of this pipe 0 is a castingD, which casting consists, briefly, of a vertical cylindrical portion d, formed with an axial bore 61, and extending laterally from this cylindrical portion is a disk-shaped portion d,'which disk-shaped portion has formed in its front and rear faces recesses d and 61, respectively, or, in other words, this disksha ed ortion d is rovided with recesses p P p d and d, separated from each other by a Web or partition d The recess d"" is caused to communicate with the bore d, which communication forms an elongated slot 61 and through this slot protrudes one portion of the in the center of the web or partition (1 the purpose of which is to serve as a bearing for the arbor e of the spur-gear E and at the same time form one portion of a stuffing-box in order that said'arbor will be effectually packed.

Formed on one side of the spur-gear E is an 5 axially-protruding boss c,which is bored from the inside face of the spur-gear to a' point near its outer end, and secured tothis boss and projecting inwardly therethrough is the arbor c, said arbor being sufficiently long to pass through its bushing and extend sufficiently far into the recess 6 to receive a hand or index-finger Gr and a nut G, which is preferably screwed thereon.

i 55 ,4 is a vertical sectional view of the gage proper,

The bushing F is provided with an outwardly-extending nose f, and when the spurgear is in its proper position and its arbor is passed through the perforation in said bushing said nose f enters the recess formed in the boss e and rests against a suitable packing 6, located in the recess in said boss and around the arbor.

H represents a cap-piece which covers the recess d by being fastened to the casting D by screws, and formed in the center of this cap-piece is a screw-th readed orifice which receives a screw h, said orifice and its screw being in axial alineinent with the boss e of the spur-gear G. Said screw his permitted,when desirable, to rest upon or against said boss and force the spur-gear toward the web or partition 61 This action forces the packing around the arbor in the recess against the 7 end of the nose f and effectually packs the arbor and prevents leakage of water thereby. This screw 7L is provided with a jam-nut 7t, which impinges against the outer face of the cap-piece H and performs the double function of first locking the screw h in a given position and, second, in serving as a bindingpost for an electric wire and conductor 2.

Located in the bore d, passing through the slot d and secured to the web or partition (1 is a guide-piece I, the outer end of which, or that portion which is located in the bore d, is provided with a suitable U-shaped or booklike portion t', and between the parallel members of this U-shaped portion is arranged a rack-bar J, which is designed to pass slidably therebetween. This rack-bar is so arranged that its teeth mesh with the spur-gear E and will upon longitudinal movement of said rack rotate said gear.

K represents a ringmade of any suitable insulation inaterial such, for instance, as vulcanized rubber or fiberwhich is arranged in the recess d, and within this insulationring and secured thereto is a metallic ring L, formed with a plurality of preferably equally distant screw-threaded perforations Z, and into one of these perforations is threaded one end of a binding-post screw M, which bindingpost is arranged outside of the material surrounding the recess d, but insulated therefrom by a bushing m, and secured to said binding-post is an electric conductor or wire 3. Thus it will be seen that the ring L is a terminal of an electric circuit.

N represents a suitable leaf-spring which is secured to a block a, which in turn is secured to the ring L by having a screw it pass therethrough and into one of the plurality of perforations Z.

Secured to the longer end of the hand or index-finger G is a thin leaf-spring g, the same being so arranged and proportioned that when the hand moves around or makes a whole or part of a revolution, depending upon the location of the spring N, said spring g will contact with said spring N and complete an electric circuit through the battery 0, the mag nets of the bell P, wire 2, the casing or cast ing D, the hand G, spring 6, spring N, ring L, binding-post M, and wire 3, and effect an audible signal of said bell P.

Q indicates a float, preferably in the form of a hollow sphere, which is arranged in and designed to float upon the water or other-liquid contained in the reservoir or pipe B, and secured to the lower portion of this float is a rod R, which rod passes downwardly through the liquid in the reservoir or pipe B into and through the pipe 0, and has its lower end attached to the upper end of the rack-bar J, which rack-bar is arranged partially in said pipe 0 and partially in the bore (1' of the casting D, and, as before stated, is in mesh with the spur-gear E, contained in said casing or casting D.

S indicates a suitable length of pipe screwed or otherwise secured to the lower end of the cylindrical portion (Z of the casting D and is in communication with the bore (1. Arranged on the lower end of this pipe S is a petcock T, the purpose of which is to drain or draw off the water or other liquid from the pipe S, bore (1, recess cZ', pipe C, and the reservoir or pipe B when desired and for obvious reasons.

The operation of the device just described is as follows: -When water or other liquid is admitted to the boiler or other vessel A, said water or other liquid will rise in the reservoir or pipe 13, the same being admitted thereto through the pipe a, and causes the float Q and its carried rod R and the rack-bar J to likewise rise, which action causes the spur-gear E and its controlled index finger or hand G to rotate, which movement will continue until the desired amount of water or other liquid has been admitted to the vessel A, which amount, we will assume, is just sufficient to bring the index finger or hand to a given point on the dial of the indicator, after which the admission of water to said vessel is discontinued. WVhen the water or other liquid contained in the vesselAis drawn therefrom either directly or by evaporationsuch, for instance, as the formation of steam-the level of the liquid is obviously lower, which action causes the float Q and its carried rod E. and the rack-bar J to descend and rotate the spurgear E, which rotation causes the hand orindeX-finger G to move in the proper direction to indicate on the dial of casting D the amount of water or other liquid thus drawn from the vessel A. As the water or other liquid continues to be drawn from vessel A the index finger or hand G continues to move toward the leafspring N, which, as before explained, is a terminal of an electric circuit, and when the water or other liquid becomes so low in the vessel A that it is desirable for an attendant to he apprised of the fact the hand G will have moved sufliciently far to have caused its-carried leaf-spring g, which is the other terminal of the electric circuit, to contact with said spring or terminal N and complete said electrio circuit and cause the bell P to ring, thus notifying theattendant of the fact that said water or other liquid is as low in the vessel A as it is desirable to have it, whereupon he will proceed to admit more water or other liquid to said vessel.

By the construction of my device it will be seen that all of the moving parts of my device, with the exception of the index finger or hand,is submerged in the water or other liquid and by which arrangement of the parts the same are constantly lubricated as well as being effectually housed and away from dust or objectionable matter. It will also be observed that by making the arbor of the spurgear quite small in diameter it is quite easily packed or made water-tight, and friction is also to a great extent eliminated.

When the packing of the arbor becomes inefficient in the course of time, I am enabled to readily tighten the same by simply turning the screw 71 in the proper direction, as is obvious.

It will be observed froma glance at the drawings that I am enabled to so arrange the parts that the variation between the maximum and minimum amount of water which it is desired to have in a vessel will be indicated, and I am enabled to adjust this device to suit different conditions in different-sized vessels by a slight adjustment of the parts. To indicate the maximum amount of water that a vessel should contain, I first fill said vessel with the desired amount of water and then set the index'hand on the proper point on the dial by the manipulation of the nut G, and to} sound an audible signal and indicate the minimum amount of water it is desired to have in the vessel I adjust the position of the springN by securing it in any one of the perforations Z on the ring L, as will be readily understood.

I am aware that minor changes can be made in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of my device without in the least departing from the nature and principle of my invention, and, furthermore, I wish it understood that I do not confine myself to the arrangement of the parts wherein the vessel containing the water or liquid must be above the gage and indicator,

for the reason that the device would work equally as well if the pipe 0 and its carried parts were made to rise from the top of the reservoir or pipe B, as would be a desirable construction were the vessel A arranged in a pit below the floor or ground level.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with areservoir containing a liquid, of a float arranged therein, a rack-bar connected to said float and movable therewith, a gear in mesh with said rack-bar and capable of making a complete revolution, a housing for inclosing said parts, a spindle on which said gear is mounted, said spindle extending outside of the housing, an indicating-hand mounted on the outer end of said spindle and forming one terminal of an electric circuit, a single contact-point in the path of said indicating-hand, said contact-point being the other terminal of an electric circuit, whereby, when the level of the liquid in the reservoir rises and falls, the float causes the gear-wheel to rotate in one direction or the other, and the indicating-hand carried thereby contacts wit-h the single fixed contactpoint at the high-water mark, and when the level of the liquid falls, the gear is rotated reversely to make a complete revolution, the indicating-hand engages the same single contact to complete the electric circuit when the low-water level is reached, and a signal in said circuit which is operated when the indicating-hand completes the circuit through the single stationary contact at both the high and low water levels; substantially as described.

2. In combination with a suitable casing having a bore d formed therein, of a rackbar arranged in said bore, said casing being also provided with a recess 11 which opens into said bore (1, a spur-gear arranged in said re cess, and in mesh with said rack-bar, a cappiece for covering said recess, a guide for said rack-bar, an arbor for said spur-gear, a journal for said arbor, means for packing said arbor to prevent liquid from passing between said arbor and its journal, andan index finger or hand arranged on said arbor and outside of the recess in which said spur-gear is arranged; substantially as described.

3. In combination with a suitable casing having a bore d formed therein, of a rackbar arranged in said bore, said casing being also provided with a recess 61 which opens into said bore 01, a spur-gear arranged in said recess, and in mesh with said rack-bar, a cappiece for covering said recess, a guide for said rack-bar, an arbor for said spur-gear, ajournal for said arbor, means for packing said arbor to prevent liquid from passing between said arbor and its journal, said casing being also provided with a recess 61" arranged in the opposite side of the casing to thatin which the first-mentioned recess d is formed, a ring of insulation material arranged in said recess c', a metallic ring arranged on said insulation-ring, said metallic ring being provided with a plurality of perforations, a leafspring which is secured to said metallic rings through the instrument-ality of a pin or screw which is designed to enter one of the plurality of perforations, an electric conductor connected to said metallic ring, an index finger or hand arranged on the arbor of said spurgear, and an electric conductor connected to said hand or index-finger; substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4:. In combination with a casing formed with two axially disposed recesses 01 and d which are separated from each other by a web or partition d said casin g being also pro IIO vided with a bore (1 arranged at an angle to the axis of said recesses d and c and communicating with the latter, of a rack-bar arranged in the bore (1, a spur-gear arranged in the recess d", and in mesh with said rackbar, an arbor for said spur-gear, said arbor being journaled in, and caused to project beyond the Web or partition (1 and into the recess d, a cap-piece for covering the recess d, means for packing the arbor of said spurgear in order that liquid may not pass between said arbor and its journal, a hand or index-finger arranged on said arbor and located Within the recess d, a ring of insulation material arranged in said recess 61', a metallic ring arranged on said insulation-ring,

FREDERicK PIIILIPPI.

Witnesses:

WM. H. 800m, A. S. GRAY. 

